How High Can a Black Bear Reach?

Bear reaching high

Lynn Rogers and Duffy

The bear on the left, a medium-sized male reaching for the backpack is taller than most female black bears. He stands about 6 feet to the tip of his up-stretched nose and is reaching to maybe 7 feet. Adult bears are not good at vertical jumping, so anything above 7 ½ feet would be out of reach for this bear and most bears.

The huge wild male on the right with the 6-foot researcher is about as large a black bear as a person could hope to see. At 876 pounds, he is only 4 pounds short of the world record for a wild bear. He could not reach above 9 feet. The U.S. Forest Service recommends hanging food above 10 feet, which undoubtedly will put food beyond the reach of any black bear.